By Thomas Sellers Jr.
Battling injuries, Millington’s Tyler Morgan wanted to secure his baseball future by picking the right college and staying healthy to take the mound next year.
But still a student at Millington Central and a member of the Black & Gold, Morgan worked with athletic trainer Shawn Matsunaga to find a compromise that would allow him to contribute on the field for the Trojans.
The right-handed ace knew he couldn’t pitch anymore for Millington, but he suited up at first base and made other adjustments to help the Trojans win two games before being eliminated from the district tournament.
Morgan and the Trojan Baseball program had one more official day together on May 5 in the lobby of MCHS. With his parents Angela Shelton and Cory Morgan by his side, Tyler inked his national letter of intent to attend Blue Mountain Christian to join the Toppers.
“It’s awesome to see him get to go somewhere,” Millington Head Baseball Coach Garrett Dooley said. “He’s been a deserving ballplayer. That off-the-field stuff, him growing as a young man—this year he really stepped up being a leader on and off the field, showing the responsibility you want to see from a senior leader on the team. He’s definitely earned this one.”
Dooley understands the path Morgan has taken as a former Trojan hurler playing college baseball.
“It’s funny because you start back on the bottom of the totem pole,” Dooley recalled. “You’re the big fish now and you’re turning back into a small fish. I tell him to stay hungry and show up day one in college ready to compete. That’s by far the most important thing. First day of practice they’re going to see who’s ready.”
Morgan’s first days playing baseball came while growing up in Lakeland.
“He started playing since he was walking pretty much with T-Ball,” Shelton said. “He never stopped. It’s been year around ever since.”
“It feels pretty great to have this signing day,” Cory said. “It’s what he’s been working toward the last several years. He has a very good baseball mind. He’s resilient.”
Shelton said her son’s IQ on the diamond will make him an asset for the Toppers competing in the NAIA’s Southern States Athletic Conference.
“He has the baseball smarts, the heart for it,” she said. “He loves to play and he keeps pushing himself to play. He’s his hardest critic. He keeps pushing himself and all he wanted to do was play baseball.”
Morgan wrapped up a high school career playing for a coach who came back to his alma mater in Dooley. Now Morgan joins the roster of former BMC pitcher Taylor Clark.
Clark pitched for BMC in 2012 and is in his ninth year on the BMC staff. Clark graduated with a BS in Christian Ministry from BMC in June 2012.
Shelton said BMC will be the right environment for her son to develop his baseball and spiritual skills.
“He’s just a good-hearted person,” she said. “He’s sweet. He gets along with everybody. He’s just a great kid all around.”
Shelton noted her son’s unselfishness in working his way back onto the field for the Trojans illustrates his love of the game and his teammates.
“It hurt for him to bat right handed, so he batted left the rest of the season,” she noted. “He did pretty well with that. He kept his mind sharp and cheered on his teammates when he couldn’t play the game. He’s a really good team leader.”
Dooley echoed those sentiments.
“As a pitcher he’s a competitor at heart,” he said. “Kid doesn’t want to lose to anybody. He’s going out doing all he can to win it doesn’t matter who the opponent is.
“Once he got hurt toward the end of the season, he completely shifted into a leadership role,” Dooley added. “All he did was talk to the younger guys. He pulled them together between innings. I was even looking toward him to arrange my infield defense toward the later part of the season. In the dugout I would be like, ‘Hey what do you have here? What do you think about his situation?’ We would shoot ideas off each other. I would use that to help my game plan. He stepped up in that regard, too.”
Morgan adds his name to the list of Trojan Baseball players to reach college. He’s on a small list of Millington pitchers to throw a no-hitter with is seven-inning performance in March against White Station.
“The coaches put their faith in me,” Morgan said. “I put my faith in them. It’s just trust. You have to connect and build trust with them.”
Cory said a driving determination made his son a great Trojan and will assist him on the next level.
“He competes,” he concluded. “He’s definitely a competitor.”
